Panoramic x-ray machine for taking radiographs of the oral cavity



Oct. 27, 1970 I PANORAMIC X-RAY MACHINE FOR TAKING RADIOGRAPHS OF THEORAL CAVITY Filed Nov. 17, 1967 Fzggl P. E. HUCHEL s: Sheets-Sheet'lPaul Huche/ INVIEZVIOK.

UeL27, 1970 EH HEL 3,536,913

PANORAMIC X-RAY MACHINE FOR TAKING RADIOGRAPHS OF THE ORAL CAVITY' FiledNov. 17, 1967 1 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 .28 Fig Paul E. 'Huche/ /IVVIINTOR.

Oct. 27,1970 P EHUCHEL 3 3,536,913

PANORAMIC X-RAY MACHINE FOR TAKING RADIOGRAPHS I OF THE ORAL CAVITY vFiled NOV. 17, 1967 I 3 Sh'e'ets-Sheet 5 Fig.3

44 I Fig .4-

United States Patent 3,536,913 PANORAMIC X-RAY MACHINE FOR TAKINGRADIOGRAPHS OF THE ORAL CAVITY Paul E. Huchel, Tyler, Tex., assignor to'Societe Anonyme dite: Societe des Automobiles Simca Filed Nov. 17,1967, Ser. No. 684,073 Int. Cl. G03b 41/16 US. Cl. 25061.5 8 ClaimsABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE An apparatus for making continuous panoramicradiographs of the oral cavity and adjacent areas in which the film ismoved in a curved path substantially concentric with the ideal arch ofthe human dentition. The apparatus will take the X-ray when moving ineither direction, that is from left to right as well as right to leftand includes a relatively simple mechanism for moving the film holderand X-ray source in a path concentric with the ideal arch and at thesame time move the film past an exposure opening for producing apanoramic view of the entire dentition on a single film with the filmdisposed as closely as possible to the surface of the face of thepatient in order to reduce distortion while following a curve concentricwith the ideal arch.

The present invention generally relates to apparatuses for makingradiographs or X-ray pictures and is primarily concerned with such anapparatus being used in conjunction with various phases of dental workand includes an X-ray source and a film cassette supported in a shieldedholder all oriented in straight line relation with the path of the beamfrom the X-ray source to the film and film holder being obliquelyupwardly through the jaw from the center thereof in a manner well knownin the art.

An object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus inaccordance with the preceding object including a mechanism for movingthe X-ray source and shielded film holder and film therein in asubstantially elliptical or parabolic path substantially concentric withan ideal arch thus moving the film so that it is in substantially thesame relationship to the human dentition during its panoramic movementfrom one extreme end of the jaw or dentition, around the front of thejaw or dentition to the other extreme end thereof to reduce distortionas much as possible and to maintain a constant relationship of the filmbeing exposed and the area being X-rayed.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus inaccordance with the preceding object in which the film cassette is movedsimultaneously with movement of the shielded cassette holder and X-raysource in underlying relation to a slit-like opening in the shieldedcassette holder so that the film will be exposed to the X-ray sourceprogressively as the panoramic X-ray picture is being taken.

Another important object of the present invention is to provide apanoramic X-ray machine which is versatile in utility in that it can beadapted for various dental uses as well as general purpose X-ray uses,simple in construction and operation, efficient in use, effective fortaking an undistorted panoramic X-ray and comparatively inexpensive tomanufacture and operate.

These together with other objects and advantages which will becomesubsequently apparent reside in the details of construction andoperation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, whereinlike numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a front view of the X-ray machine of the present invention;

ice

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the construction of FIG. 1 withcertain components thereof displaced angularly from the positionillustrated in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the construction of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken substantially along section line 44 ofFIG. 1 illustrating the structure for positioning the head in relationto the film cassette;

FIG. 5 is a plan sectional view taken generally along section line 5-5of FIG. 4 illustrating the structure for moving the supporting assemblyfor the X-ray head and cassette holder in a path substantiallyconcentric with an ideal arch of the human dentition;

FIG. 6 is a detailed sectional view taken along section line 6-6 of FIG.4 illustrating further structural details of the apparatus;

FIG. 7 is a view similar to FIG. 6 but with the film cassette and shieldangularly displaced;

FIG. 8 is a detailed sectional view of the film cassette, actuatingroller and tubular member;

FIG. 9 is a detailed sectional view taken along section line 9-9 of FIG.8 illustrating further structural details thereof;

FIG. 10 is a detailed view taken along reference line 1010 of FIG. 8showing the roller assembled with the shield; and

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the film cassette.

Referring now specifically to the drawings, the numeral 10 generallydesignates the X-ray apparatus of the present invention including avertically disposed supporting column 12 supported from the floor 14 bya suitable base plate 16 or the like and supported from the wall 18 bysuitable bracket structure 20 of any suitable configuration thussupporting the column 12 in a vertical position in substantiallyparallel relation to the wall surface 18 'but spaced therefrom.Alongside of the column 12, a pair of guide rails or rod-like members 22are mounted on which a vertically movable carriage 24 is supported. Thecarriage 24 is elongated and is slidably engaged with the rails 22. Theopposite sides of the carriage 24 are connected to cables 26 which areentrained over pulleys 28 at the upper end of the column 12 with theother ends of the cables 26 extending downwardly into the column 12 andconnected to a suitable counterbalancing apparatus such ascounterweights or the like.

The carriage 24 includes a vertically elongated member 30 which slideson the rails and includes an upwardly extending arm 32 rigid therewithadjacent the upper end thereof and a similar arm 34 adjacent the bottomthereof which supports a hollow member 36 thereon constructed ofradiolucent material and which is substantially elliptical inconfiguration with the outer portion thereof being provided with anarcuate cut out area 38 for receiving the front portion of the head 40of a person having an X-ray taken. The arm 34 is in the form of a platehaving a semi-elliptical cutout 42 therein corresponding with the bottomedge of the upstanding hollow or tubular member 36 to receive the neckportion of the head 40 of the patient. The top end of the tubular member36 is in supporting engagement with a circular plate 44 having acentrally disposed mounting block 6 thereon. The mounting block isprovided with intersecting slots 48 and 50 which communicate with theupper surface thereof and which may be provided with straight side wallsor downwardly diverging side walls for slidably receivingcorrespondingly shaped slides 52 and 54 which are pivotally supportedfrom the undersurface of an elongated supporting arm 56. With the bottomplate or arm 34 being stationary, the tubular member 36 and the plate 44as well as the block 46 are also stationary. Due to the construction ofthe slots 48 and 50 as well as the slides 52 and 54 which are pivotallyattached to the arm 56 by pivot pins 58, rotation of the arm 56 about agenerally vertical, laterally shifting axis will cause longitudinalshifting of the arm 56 during its rotational movement. This structure isgenerally referred to as an ellipsograph and any point along the arm 56will move in an elliptical path as the arm is rotated or swung in ahorizontal plane.

For driving the arm 56 for rotation thereof, the upper surface thereofis provided with a plate 60 which is drivingly engaged by a frictionwheel 62 driven by a reversible and variable speed motor 64 supported ina suitable manner on the arm or plate 32 with the friction wheel 62extending through a slot-like opening 66 in the plate or arm 32 thusdrivingly engaging the plate 60. The motor 64 and wheel 62 may be movedradially in relation to the rotational axis of the arm 56 to vary thespeed thereof or the motor 64 may be a variable speed motor controlledby a suitable rheostat or the like to vary the rotational speed of thearm 56. As the arm 56 moves along its longitudinal axis, the relativemovement between the plate 60 and the friction drive wheel 62 will beaccommodated due to the friction engagement of the wheel 62 with theplate 60.

At one end of the arm 56, there is provided a depending support yoke 68through which is connected a conventional X-ray head 70 which forms thesource of the X-ray beam. The yoke 68 is adjustably attached to the endof the arm 56 by a suitable adjustment sleeve 72 provided with setscrewtype locking elements or the like to enable the vertical position of theX-ray head 70 to be adjusted for optimum position in relation to a filmholding and moving assembly generally designated by the numeral 74supported by the other end of the arm 56. To stabilize the arm 56, aspherical type bearing assembly 76 is provided between it and the plate44 and a similar spherical bearing assembly 78 is provided between thearm 56 and the plate 32. Inasmuch as the head 70 is considerably heavierthan the film holding and moving apparatus 74, the bearing assembly 76on the underside of the arm 56 is located between the axis of rotationof the arm 56 and the end thereof which supports the X-ray head 70 whilethe bearing assembly 78 is located between the arm 56 and the plate 32on the opposite side of the pivot axis thus stabilizing the arm 56during its swinging movement.

The film holding and moving apparatus 74 includes a depending supportmember 80 supported from the end of the arm 56 remote from the yoke 68and which supports a lead shield 82 having a vertically disposed slot 84therein. The shield 82 includes a generally semi-cylindrical lead Wall86 in which the slot 84 is formed to reveal the film cassette 88 and thefilm 89 therein through the slot 84 to expose the film when the X-rayhead 70 is energized. The film cassette includes a peripheralchannelshaped frame 90 for receiving the film and also a pivotal closuredoor 92 to enable the film to be removed therefrom and placed therein.The cassette 88 is movabl supported in a groove 94 in a support member96 for movement thereof past the slot 84. The movement of the cassette88 is accomplished by a friction wheel 98 supported from the bottomportion 85 of shield 82 by pivot axle 100 and in frictional engagementwith the stationary tubular member 36 and in engagement with the supportmember 96. Thus, as the arm 56, support 80 and shield 82 move in thepath of the ideal arch, the film cassette 88 and film 89 therein will bemoved a corresponding linear distance to expose the film progressivelyduring the rotational movement of the arm 56.

The support member 96 is rigidly connected with a sleeve 102 which isjournaled on the depending support 80 by suitable bearing assemblies 104so that the film cassette 88 and the holder or supoprt 96 therefor maybe rotated about the vertical axis of the support member 80 asillustrated in FIGS. 6 and 7 as the roller 98 rolls around the outersurface of the transparent member 36 during accurate swinging movementof the arm 56. To facilties removal of and replacement of the cassette88, it is provided with a transversely extending handle 106 on theinterior thereof to enable the cassette to be easily grasped and removedwhen the cassette 88 is rotated to its extreme position so that asubstantial portion thereof will be projecting beyond the rear edge ofthe shield 82. Thus, a cassette with exposed film may be easily removedand another cassette with an unexposed film may be easily placed inposition on the holder 96. The pivotal closure 92 for the cassette 88enables the film to be easily removed in the darkroom and an unexposedfilm may be easily inserted into the cassette. Any suitable type ofclosure mechanism may be provided for retaining the door 92 in closedcondition.

In order to obtain a proper X-ray picture, the patients head 40 must bestabilized and retained in position. This is accomplished by providingan adjustable chin engaging bar 108 supported by a forwardly anddownwardly extending shank 110 which is adjustably supported in a sleeve1,12 supported by a suitable bracket 114 from the bottom arm 34. Thechin bar 108 engages the recess or cavity formed in the chin of eachindividual so that a stable support will be engaged for the patientshead by the patient bringing his chin into engagement with the chin bar108 with the chin 108 engaged in the groove or recess in the frontportion of the chin. To stabilize the upper portion of the head 40, agenerally U-shaped strap member 116 is provided which engages theforehead and diverges rearwardly from the side edges of the forehead andis supported at the rear end thereof by upstanding brackets 118 in theform of straps anchored to the stationary top plate 44. The bottom endsof the brackets or straps 118 are spaced apart a distance greater thanthe normal width of a persons head so that the person may walk into themachine and bring his forehead into engagement with the front of thestrap 116 and the groove in his chin in engagement with the chin bar 108which will accurately position is jaw for taking an X-ray of the oralcavity. To further stabilize the patient, especially those who may besomewhat frightened, elderly people, small children, invalids or thelike, a pair of vertically disposed handrails 120 is provided alongsideof the machine and attached to the wall in any suitable manner such asby brackets 122. Thus, by the patient grasping the handrails 120, theymay pull themselves into proper engagement with the chin bar andforehead strap 116 and retain themselves in a stable condition duringthe movement of the X-ray head 70, arm 56 and film cassette and shieldassembly 74.

For adjusting the width of the slot 84 in the shield thus varying theexposure characteristics, there is provided a pair of adjustableshutters 128 mounted on the inner surface of the arcuate wall 86 in anysuitable manner to permit adjustment of the effective width of the slot84 up to a maximum width which would enable the apparatus to be usedwith any standard type of X-ray head which has differences in emissioncharacteristics. The shutter elements 128 are also constructed of leadshielding material and may be secured in place by slots and fasteners sothat an effective shield will be retained and the width of the slot 84may be effectively adjusted.

FIG. 10 illustrates the association of the roller with the shield 86 andthe slot 84 in that a larger opening 130 is provided closely receivingthe peripheral surfaces of the roller or wheel 98 so that the slot 84will be substantially in direct alignment with the rotational center ofthe roller 98. The X-ray head 70 is adjusted so that the X-ray beam willpass above the roller 98 and pass through the slot 84 for exposing thefilm in the cassette 88.

The cassette 88 may be removed from the holder 96 at either extreme endof its movement and the linear dimension of the exterior surface of thetubular member 36 and the frame of the cassette are equal so that thecassette will be removed between its extremes of movement duringmovement of the shield 82 around and concentric with the tubular member36.

The support arm 80 for the film cassette and shield is pivotallyattached to the supoprt arm 56 by a hinge 132 with a spring device 133extending across the juncture to urge the support arm 80 inwardly toretain the roller 9-8 in frictional engagement with the tubular member36 and to enable rolling movement of the roller 98 on the tubular member36 even though the tubular member 36 may have irregularities in thesurface thereof. This construction also enables the support arm 80 to bepivoted upwardly to the inoperative position as illustrated in dottedline in FIG. 1 so that the X-ray head 70 may be employed for other usesin the dental X-ray field or for general X-ray purposes. When the arm 80is pivoted upwardly, a contact switch 81 is engaged to deactivate motor64. A support arm 134 may then be brought into play either by insertinginto a socket 37 provided through the carriage 24 or otherwise attachedthereto either permanently or temporarily.

The arm 134 is provided with a forwardly extending portion 136 having adepending support assembly 138 including a film holder 140 and anadjustable head holder 14]. so that the X-ray head may be employed intaking a cephalometric X-ray exposure. This is accomplished by having aremovable short cone 69 to restrict X-rays that is interchangeable witha long cone 71 (shown in dotted line) for taking cephalometric X-rays.The head 70 is adjustable at 73 so that the head 70' will be at rightangles to yoke 68 with adjustment 72 aligning the head with film holder140. This same arrangement may be employed for general X-ray purposesand for X-rayiug various portions of the anatomy as desired.

By adjusting the head using the lower part of nose resting on chinengaging bar 108 and adjusting the U-shaped strap 116, a panoramicpicture of the frontal and maxillary sinus area can be taken thusenabling the condition of the sinus cavities and the like to beanalyzed.

As illustrated in FIG. 4, the upper supporting arm 32 is provided with ahousing or cover 142 attached to the vertical member 30 by hingestructure 144. This housing cover may be plastic material, sheet metalor any other suitable material and conceals the operating mechanism.This cover also provides access for enabling removal or adjustment ofthe arm 134.

Thus, with the present invention, a relatively simple and efficientstructure has been provided to enable a panoramic X-ray picture to bemade of the entire dentition during a single movement of the X-ray headand film holder with the patient remaining immobilized. The X- ray headand film is mounted on a rigid hollow arm or the like which follows acurved path substantially concentric with the ideal arch form andretains the film as close as possible to the surface of the jaw or faceof the patient to reduce distortion. This enables a clearer radiographof the oral cavity and adjacent areas which would enable a. much betterpermanent record to be retained by various organizations, especiallyU.S. Government agencies for providing a good record of dental conditionwhen a person enlisted in the Armed Forces and when they are dischargedin order to substantiate any claim made relating to dental problemswhich may have developed during the term of service. This also enables amore effective identification procedure, especially of persons burned orotherwise injured to a point beyond visual recognition. Suchidentification purposes may be also significant in various hospitals,mental institutions, prisons and other similar organizations. Thisdevice would also be effective for diagnosis of various problemsrelating to the sinuses and would be useful for physicians diagnosingeye, ear, nose and throat conditions. The ap paratus may be manufacturedwith a minimum number of moving parts, very little adjustment, verylittle maintenance, easily adapted to existing ofiice space, requiresless than one foot of floor space, may be easily cleaned and sterilizedafter each use, adjust to the patient rather than a patient beingadjusted to the machine, enable the patient to either stand in a relaxedposition or sit in a relaxed position such as in a wheelchair or thelike, includes handrails fixed to the wall to steady the patient,requires less time in taking the picture, the X-ray picture may be takenfrom left to right as well from right to left, only one film to mount orprocess and reduces the exposure to radiation as compared Withindividual X-ray of each tooth or group of teeth.

The machine may be used to take a panoramic X-ray of complete maxillaryand mandibular arches and bone structure, sinus evaluation, for taking alateral head or cephalometric X-ray can be taken, parpical X-rays can betaken and the device may be converted for field use, text type X-raysand the like.

Conventional controls and electrical supply may be provided includingvarious manual switches, rheostats and the like all of which are knownin the art and form no particular part of the present invention.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles ofthe invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes willreadily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limitthe invention to the exact construction and operation shown anddescribed, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalentsmay be resorted to.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. In an X-ray apparatus including an extra oral film holder and anX-ray source arranged in a line of sight to radiograph a denture of apatient in said line of sight, and means supporting the film holder andX-ray source for simultaneous movement about a patient uninterruptedlyalong a path concentric with the ideal arch of the patient whilemaintaining a constant relationship between the film holder, X-raysource and denture of the patient. I

2. The structure as defined in claim 1 wherein said means supporting theX-ray source and film holder includes a supporting arm structure havingthe X-ray source at one end thereof and the film holder at the other tomaintain the line of sight therebetween, means supporting said arm forrotation in a substantially horizontal plane and imparting simultaneouslongitudinal movement during such rotation thus moving the arm, X-raysource and film holder in an arcuate path substantially concentricwiththe ideal curve of the maxillary and mandibular dental arches of a humandentition.

3. The structure as defined in claim 2 wherein said film holder includesa film cassette of arcuate construction, a shield impervious to passageof X-rays disposed in the line of sight, said shield including aslot-like open ing to enable exposure of the film in the film cassettedisposed in alignment with the slot-like opening, and means moving thefilm cassette and film therein past the slotlike opening in response torotational movement of the arm in a horizontal plane.

4. In an X-ray apparatus including a film holder and an X-ray sourcearranged in a line of sight to radiograph a denture of a patient in saidline of sight, and means supporting the film holder and X-ray source formovement about a patient in a path concentric with the ideal arch of thepatient, said means supporting the X- ray source and film holderincluding a supporting arm structure having the X-ray source at one endthereof and the film holder at the other to maintain the line of sighttherebetween, means supporting said arm for rotation in a substantiallyhorizontal plane and imparting simultaneous longitudinal movement duringsuch rotation thus moving the arm, X-ray source and film holder in anarcuate path substantially concentric with the ideal curve of themaxillary and mandibular arches of a human dentition, said film holderincluding a film cassette of arcuate construction, a shield imperviousto passage of X-rays disposed in the line of sight, said shieldincluding a slotlike opening to enable exposure of the film in the filmcassette disposed in alignment with the slot-like opening, and meansmoving the film cassette and film therein past the slot-like openingduring movement of the arm in a horizontal plane, said means including adrive roller frictionally engaged with the film cassette on one side ofthe rotational axis thereof, the other surface of the roller on theopposite side of the rotational axis thereof being engaged with a curveradiolucent tubular member disposed in adjacent relation to the surfaceof the jaws of the patient having an X-ray taken to drive the cassetteto move the film in relation to the slot-like opening during movement ofthe source and film holder.

5. The structure as defined in claim 4 together with reversible motormeans to drive the supporting arm, X- ray source and film holder inopposite directions to enable an X-ray to be taken in both directions ofmovement of the X-ray source and film holder.

6. The structure as defined in claim 5 together with means positioningthe chin and forehead of a patient in relation to a radiolucent memberwith the radiolucent member being tubular and curved in a mannersubstantially concentric with the ideal arch with a cutout areareceiving the head portion of a patient.

7. The structure as defined in claim 4 wherein said means supportingsaid arm includes a mounting block stationarily supported in asubstantially horizontal position and provided with intersecting slotsin the upper surface thereof, said arm extending across the top surfaceof the block and including a pair of slides pivotally supported from theundersurface of the arm and slidable in the intersecting slot wherebyrotation of the arm about substantially a vertical axis will causelongitudinal shifting of the arm so that any part along the arm willmove in a substantially elliptical path.

8. The structure as defined in claim 7 wherein said arm includes afriction plate on the upper surface thereof, and a motor driven frictiondrive wheel having the periphery thereof drivingly engaging the frictionplate to enable rotational driving movement of the arm as it shiftslongitudinally during such rotation, said means supporting said armincludes vertically adjustable means to enable variation in the line ofsight for receiving ditferent height patients.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,408,559 3/1922 Zulauf 250-69 X2,798,958 7/1957 Hudson et al. 2506l.5 3,045,118 7/1962 Hollman et a1250-61.5

WILLIAM F. LINDQUIST, Primary Examiner A. L. BIRCH, Assistant ExaminerU.S. Cl. X.R.

Patent No. 536 ,913 Dated October 27, 1970 Paul E. Huchel Inventor(s) Itis certified that error appears in the above-identified patent and thatsaid Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

Column 1, lines 4 and 5, delete "assignor to Societe Anonyme dite:Societe des Automobiles Simca".

SIGNED AN FORM PO-105O (10-69) USCOMWDC t us, oovnmnnn unmaromcu nuo-su-su

